This Week's Leaders in Etiquette

Beach Theme but ceremony and reception not on the beach.

My fiance and I are thinking about having a beach theme without getting married on a beach. We live in Oswego, NY and can't afford to have a destination wedding, or go to Long Island. So we wondered if it would looky tacky and weird to bring the beach theme to our wedding reception. Our reception is indoors. We'd like our ceremony to be outdoors, and maybe by the lake or something like that. We're wondering whether to kick the beach idea or whether to keep it.

Re: Beach Theme but ceremony and reception not on the beach.

My cousin and her H sail and they had a beach themed wedding (and we aren't on the beach). It was a church wedding/hall reception and on each of the tables as centerpieces, she made sandcastles (she used a mold she bought online and mixed glue and sand together). It was cute. I don't remember how all she incorporated the beach theme, but I think if that's what you want then do it.

Hmm that is a tough one...I think if that is what you really want then go for it. However, I do think it seems out of place. Are you honeymooning at a beachy place or did you meet somewhere beachy? I am just trying to think of ways that you could tie in the beach theme without it just looking misplaced.

Match your theme to your venue....If your venue is a formal, english tudor sort of place, then go with a formal english feel. Similarly if your venue is a light, airy, contemporary feel, embrace that as well with a more modern style.

Unless you start with a blank slate s to speak at a place, nothing looks more tacky than trying to change a venue to match your style. You have to spend big bucks to achieve it. The location always wins